Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Newfoundland Moose outfitter?

Anyone have a line on a good Newfoundland moose outfitter?

Portland Creek treated me great in 2011. I killed a real nice moose, to boot.

Thanks Hooper. I'll go check them out.

Parsons Pond .
Hunted bear with them and shot a 500 pound blackie on the first night .
Soup

I am not endorsing nor degrading this particular outfitter, but I'd trust the opinion and word of the author of this thread:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...land-moose-hunt-photo-heavy#Post13412090

Thanks for the link. Much appreciated. I wonder how many of the Newfy outfits really live up to their contracts. It's a big old point of no return by the time you find out.

I went with Moose Valley Outfitters last year and am scheduled again next year. Fly in camps and very organized.

www.moosevalleyoutfitters.com

That's a good looking site they have. Nice bulls.

Mountain Top Outfitters did a great job this past season. Art Ryan, and everyone I met that worked for him, were a hard working bunch. All 4 of us took bulls, the groups in the week before and the week after, filled all their tags. I think he runs between 98-99% success rate on moose.
One of the bozos that hunted the prior week, managed to kill the calf, rather than the cow he thought he was targeting.
There were plenty of moose and caribou around. I understand that tags for caribou a getting very hard to obtain as the province is cutting way back.
I highly recommend doing the fly in hunt if you possibly can irregardless of the outfitter you choose.
Good hunting!

fishdog52, I've heard good things about Mountain Top too. If you don't mind, what is approx cost of the fly in moose hunt? Thanks. NF moose is on my bucket list.

Don't hunt with Bob Effords, he's a liar and a thief!

Gotcha. Kinda what I got from the above post.

West Woods Outfitters
I have been greatly pleased each time I hunted with them. I highly commend them.
My next Newfoundland hunt will be with them again.
Recommended them to others who gave very positive feedback also.
Their clientele includes several returnees each year so early registration is important if you want to get in.

Check them out. Read the testimonials.

Google West Woods Outfitters.

I'll second Jim's recommendation of Westwoods. I'm going back with them next year. Stewart, Grace and their staff are all great people.
You might want to take along a pair of pants in the next size up as Grace is a great cook!

That seems to be a theme, on these moose hunts. Man, we had a great cook. It was my guide's wife.

An additional thought. Be clear on how your moose is to be handled/processed if you are successful.
First lodge I hunted with, several years ago, broke the moose down to quarter in the field, then got them back to camp and hung in a cooler. Everything after that was my problem. So add the cost of game bags and freezer bags. Fortunately, moose was taken early in the week so there was adequate time to get bullwinkle broken down. There were 8 hunters in camp. I've never used that outfitter again.
Ryan/ Mountain Top flew our moose out of our remote camp, directly to a butcher shop with an instruction sheet detailing how I wanted it processed. Picked bullwinkle up, packed in vacuum bags, fullly frozen. They processed my small bull exactly as I instructed for about $240 US. I had only a small amount (30#) of sausage made up, which kept the cost down. It packed into a 150 qt and a 50 qt coolers. I use pretty good marine coolers, so no ice was required for the 36 hr trip home.
One more thought, be clear, very clear, with your outfitter on just how you are going to hunt. Newfoundland is mighty big country.
The first outfitter I hunted with, several years ago, spent a lot of time driving around, competing with residents. We wasted a lot of time.
My most recent hunt, with Mountain Top, was a fly in. Art Ryan had argos at the camp. The week we were there, most of the the moose were in a river valley about 5-6 miles away. Due to the argo's, we were able to spend most of the day hunting, rather than commuting. We would ride the argos near the "hot spot, then spend the rest of the day still hunting. Since the weather was pretty mild, the argos enabled us to be there early enough to catch the moose still active. We were there prior to the rut.
The argos all had winches, so the moose were field dressed and then loaded onto the argo for the ride back to camp. Being an old phart, I really appreciated this accommodation.
My partners moose rolled into the river after being shot and was floating downstream. The winch, and a piece of good parachute cord, enabled them to get bullwinkle lassoed and dragged back to shore. The guide had quickly stripped to his skivvies and got to the moose before it went too far. He earned his wages and good tip that day. Water was cold!
We got to the Rock a day early, and called Ryan the let him know we were available. He checked with the chopper driver, and flew us in a day early. Hotel we had reserved in Port au Basque, let us cancel, short notice, no charge.
At the end of our week, the weather tanked, prohibiting any flights. Had us picked up the following morning, no hassle, no extra charge. The ferry accommodated our changed schedule..
Ryan scheduled only 4 hunters per week, in that camp, last season. There 2 guide plus a cook. He maintains at least 9 camps.
A sat phone had been provided to the cabin, so problems, and solutions, were discussed and well communicated.
Mountain Top could not have done a better job, everything we needed, nothing we didn't.

There is no shortage of good outfitters in Newfoundland. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of mediocre to poor outfitters. How do you tell them apart?
My suggestions:
The very best average more like a 98-99% success rate, rather than 90 or 95%.
The better outfitters enjoy a very high percentage of repeat customers, often booking out 2-3 years in the future.
The best outfitters don't usually attend sportsmen shows, advertise much or, have a killer website. They don't need to. Work of mouth and repeat business keep them fully occupied.
Pay attention to the critiques. Even the crappiest outfitters have some successful hunters.
Reference are not necessarily a reliable reflection of an outfitters, performance. They might be a good way way to learn about how the days hunt might go and the nature of the guides.
The best outfitters, know their herd and their grounds, and put their hunters were the moose are, not where they were. They, and their employees & guides, work darn hard for their hunters.
One of the guys I hunted with last season was determined to get a nicely palmated, larger moose. His guide put him on several moose he rejected, before finding an acceptable critter. There was no pressure, no complaining. Tho the guide was no spring chicken, I think he was enjoying the challenge, and the hunt, every bit as much as the hunter.
It is a mistake to expect perfection, however......At the end of a good hunt, you should feel delighted, not simply obligated, to tip, and tip well.

Two good posts fishdog.

fishdog52 is one of those men who has 'been there, done that." Articulate too. His points should be well headed by any new hunter to Newfoudland. Asking here for references is a beginning. One should do his homework with diligence. One of the problems a new hunter to a new experience faces is he doesn't know the questions to ask. fishdog52 gives you, in his posts, many of the pertinate areas that should be researched. I agree with Otter6

Having said that I'm confident that West Woods Outfitters will be again the outfitter I'll gladly return to, to hunt Newfoundland.
Jim

I do not recommend Ironbound.